Positive and Negative Effects of Religion

POSITIVE AND
NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF
RELIGION
IMAGINE BY: JOHN LENON
“ Imagine there’s no countries, it isn’t

hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for. And
no religion too. Imagine all the people
living life in peace. You may say I’m a
dreamer. But I’m not the only one. I hope
someday you’ll join us. And the world will
be as one”
CONCEPT MAP
POSITIVE EFFECTS NEGATIVE EFFECTS
OF RELIGION OF RELIGION
Serves as an Economic
Promotes Social Affirms Social
Explains the Unknown Tool for Controlling the
Harmony Hierarchy
Masses
Impedes Scientific
Gives Positive Goal in Causes Discrimination Success and
Provides Moral Values
Life Development
Provides Social Gives People a Sense of Triggers Conflicts and Obstructs the Use of
Change Belonging Fights Reason
POSITIVE EFFECTS OF
RELIGION
1. PROMOTES SOCIAL HARMONY
• Religion believes in supernatural beings and

powers
• It practices a set of rituals and ceremonies
• Common participation in rituals together with
basic uniformity of beliefs help promote social
cohesiveness
PROMOTES SOCIAL HARMONY
• Religious activities performed together helps bind

people together and reinforce their identification
with a particular group.
• Xiao- or filial pity for Confucianism:
It serves as the basis for moral conduct
PROMOTES SOCIAL HARMONY
• Ahimsa- for Jainism:

- Followers have a particular stand for
abortion, international conflict.
- they live their lives without doing any form
of violence to other life forms.
2. PROVIDES MORAL VALUES
• Religion encourages moral values
• It provides a systematic model of the universe,
which in effect determines organized behavior.
• One can distinguish right from wrong, good from
evil
2. PROVIDES MORAL VALUES
• It also provides a system of reward and

punishment.
• Ex: Before planting, farmers would perform a
kind of ritual to ask for blessings that their harvest
would be bountiful
3. PROVIDES SOCIAL CHANGE
• Religion can be very effective in lobbying and

campaigning for certain social issues using its own
moral values.
• Ex: Church in US is active in campaigning for civil
liberties as well as anti-slavery movement
4. REDUCES THE FEAR OF
THE UNKNOWN
• Religion was developed for man’s need to have a sense of
origin and destination
• To discover where they come from and where they are
bound to go when they die
• Religions provides answers for phenomenon and
questions that science or reason cannot explain
4. REDUCES THE FEAR OF
THE UNKNOWN
• Religion was developed for man’s need to have a sense of
origin and destination
• To discover where they come from and where they are
bound to go when they die
• Religions provides answers for phenomenon and
questions that science or reason cannot explain
4. REDUCES THE FEAR OF THE
UNKNOWN
• Ex.: Dharma for Hinduism:

- it determines what happen to them
after life (reap good karma)
5. RELIGION GIVES POSITIVE
GOALS IN LIFE
• People were inspired by the stories of different
prophets from their own religious affiliations
• They showed how ordinary people like them were
given important missions in life and how they
struggled to carry out such missions
6. GIVES SENSE OF BELONGING
• Religion provides people with personal identity

as part of the group with similar worldviews,
beliefs, values, practices and lifestyles.
• It gives a feeling of being in the right place with
the right people
6. GIVES SENSE OF BELONGING
• They give counsel, help the sick and

underprivileged and other services
• Ex: Seva- Sikh Principle means – “selfless
service”
NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF
RELIGION
1. AFFIRMS SOCIAL HIERARCHY
• Some religions often favoring men as a result:

perpetuate the notions of class or gender
discrimination and oppression
• Confucian emphasis on the relations between
the ruler and the subject
2. CAUSES DISCRIMINATION
• This happens when people do not tolerate
religious ideologies different from the one they
follow
• Religious fanaticism can lead to feelings of
hatred- racism and violence
2. CAUSES DISCRIMINATION
• In Islam: the practice of wearing “Hijab” is

considered by many critics as a form of suppression
against Muslim Women
• Other religions discriminate other religions on the
basis of claiming to be the right religion
3. TRIGGERS CONFLICTS AND
FIGHT
• Religion has been susceptible to be a source
of conflict and war.
• History witnessed numerous lives sacrificed
and lost in the name of religion
3. TRIGGERS CONFLICTS AND
FIGHT
• Ex. : -In Palestine, the Jews are in conflict with
the Muslims
-In Kashmir, Muslims against Hindus,
- In Sri Lanka, Sinhales Buddhists against
Tamil Hindus
4. AS AN ECONOMIC TOOL FOR
EXPLOITING THE MASSES
• Karl Marx: “Religion is the opium of the
masses”
• He believed that religion can be effectively used
by the ruling class to maintain a social order that is
more favorable to them
5. IMPEDES SCIENTIFIC
DEVELOPMENT
• Ptolematic Theory believed that the earth is
the center of the solar system
• Moral teachings of other religions are deemed
detrimental to development.
5. IMPEDES SCIENTIFIC
DEVELOPMENT
• Ex: some religions express their disapproval
against reproductive health programs,
claiming that such programs defies religious
doctrine and are therefore immoral.
6. OBSTRUCTS THE USE OF
REASON
• Many questions the suitability of religious
doctrines to the needs of the present and future
generations.
• Religion should adapt to the ever changing
world.
6. OBSTRUCTS THE USE OF
REASON
• Ex.: The case of trepanning: a surgical
procedure performed in epileptics and
mentally ill – through the hole, the evil will
leave the person.
HISTORICAL EVENTS
CAUSED BY RELIGION
A. Self-immolation of a Buddhist Monk
B. Widow Burning Among the Hindus

In India
C. THE GODHRA TRAIN

INCIDENT
Next topic:
Abrahamic Religion:
Islam

Positive and Negative Effects of Religion

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Positive and Negative Effects of Religion

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POSITIVE AND

“ Imagine there’s no countries, it isn’t

• Religion believes in supernatural beings and

• Religious activities performed together helps bind

• Ahimsa- for Jainism:

• It also provides a system of reward and

• Religion can be very effective in lobbying and

• Ex.: Dharma for Hinduism:

• Religion provides people with personal identity

• They give counsel, help the sick and

• Some religions often favoring men as a result:

• In Islam: the practice of wearing “Hijab” is

B. Widow Burning Among the Hindus

C. THE GODHRA TRAIN

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